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Viggo KampmannDanish politician, leader of the Social Democrats
Date of Birth: 21.07.1910
Country:  Denmark |
Content:
Biography of Viggo Kampmann
Viggo Kampmann was a Danish politician and the leader of the Social Democrats party. He served as the Prime Minister of Denmark from February 19, 1960, to September 3, 1962. Born in Frederiksberg, Denmark, Kampmann came from a family of scholars. He became the first scientist in the history of the Danish Social Democratic Party to hold a significant position.
Before becoming the Minister of Finance, Kampmann worked as the first advisor in the newly established Economic Secretariat. He was first elected to the Folketing, the Danish parliament, in 1953. In February 1960, the Prime Minister Hans Christian Svane Hansen passed away, and Kampmann took his place, forming his first cabinet of ministers.
While Hansen actively collaborated with the Danish Liberal-Socialist Party and the Retsforbundet party, Kampmann struggled to establish a normal relationship with Retsforbundet. In the parliamentary elections of 1960, Retsforbundet did not win seats in the Folketing, and the number of mandates for the Liberal-Socialists decreased to 11. The Social Democrats, on the other hand, gained 6 mandates, allowing Viggo Kampmann to form his second cabinet based on the party.
In 1962, Kampmann proposed the 'oms' project, a precursor to the 'moms,' or value-added tax. Kampmann became one of Denmark's most well-known and intellectual prime ministers, although his behavior sometimes displayed unpredictability. It is known that Viggo Kampmann suffered from bipolar disorder for most of his adult life. During particularly difficult moments, he would turn to drinking and occasionally disappear from the view of his family and loved ones, leaving the government without a leader for several days.
On September 3, 1962, Kampmann resigned as Prime Minister, and he was succeeded by Jens Otto Krag both as the Prime Minister and the leader of the Social Democrats. Health problems, including a series of heart attacks, forced Kampmann to retire from politics. After stepping down, he became a political commentator.
